Fragments: A Study of Houston’s Light, 2019-2020

Houston’s light is continuously changing. From the overcast skies of January to the harsh August sun, light provides shape and form to the city. Seemingly moving almost imperceptibly, light is continually influencing our experiences with the built environment. To better understand how form is revealed through light, Sean has documented a series of buildings in downtown Houston. With shared purpose, these buildings promote strong local and regional identity, but more importantly are made specific to place with their dialogue with light. Each composition, a familiar architectural example of primal elements abstracted: Window, frame, wall, etc. The architectural moment is documented and understood through the fragment. By systematically photographing this series of buildings, each one photographed at four different times throughout the day (morning, noon, evening, and night), Sean’s Fragments document the transformation of Houston’s changing light and its effects on the form and the perception of the buildings that shape the identity of the region.

Inspired by Claude Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series (1893), Andy Warhol’s 16mm film Empire (1964), and Ed Ruscha’s Every Building on the Sunset Strip (1966).

To read more about the process, visit Sean’s blog post here.